Richard Aria

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Richard Aria (リチャード・アリア, Richādo Aria) is an extremely powerful S-Class Mage who is in the services of the Magic Council as a Rune Knight. Unlike other Rune Knights who act in large squadrons, he is part of the elite Individual Suppression Unit, a collection of powerful mages who target high-profile targets on request from the Magic Council’s ruling body: the Ten Wizard Saints. His reputation as a mage is so great that he is known by the namesake Silver Crystal (銀晶, Ginshō), specifically for his complete mastery of Crystal-Make and Crystal Magic.

In addition to his professional duties, Richard is also the acting head of the Aria Family and, accordingly so, is very good friends with the heir of the House of Vista, Sanjo. Their travels together have led to various stories being told about them across the country and beyond, of both their friendship and power.

As a mage, Richard is respected as one of the top of his generation, alongside great figures such as Jellal Fernandes, Laxus Dreyar, Erza Scarlet and not-to-mention, his friend Sanjo. His prowess is such that he has been labelled one of the council’s greatest fighters.

Contents

Appearance

Richard's general appearance.

Richard, unlike all of his siblings, appears to have a naturally rebellious look about him. This is made particularly evident with his darker skin tone and grey hair, while the majority of his siblings are known for their pristine white hair. This was later attributed to the fact that his father’s first wife, Selena Bloodrose, was in fact from the exotic region of Desierto. Many of his associates, including Sanjo, have remarked that “he [Richard] is an odd mixture between a noble and a nomad. It’s hard to place him in one category.” Besides his signature silver hair and tanned skin, Richard inherited his deep blue eyes from his mother, which are thought to be always lost in thought, which is attributed to his rather mellow personality. Surprisingly, Richard holds a lean, but muscular build despite his rather gluttonous habits, a feat thought to be a result of his high metabolism. He has particularly focused on his torso, although he still has notable muscular definition across his arms and lower body, to ensure that no enemy can beat him in an ordinary physical contest.

Richard's more formal appearance.

Richard, given his line of work, has very little time to stylize himself in a way that would ensure that he grabbed potential love interests. He sticks to simple and practical pieces of clothing that also assist when it comes down to fisticuffs. It consists of a dark blue, denim hoodie that has red lining across the shoulders and travels down to his stomach. While technically a button-up, he chooses to leave it unbuttoned. Thus, underneath this, he is revealed to have a dark grey dress shirt with the top button left open, in addition to a loosely tied black tie – at the insistence of his younger brother. For his lower body, Richard is content to wear a pair of long, dark blue pants with grey trimming down the centre, in addition to a pair of black loafers patterned with silver. If he is forced to a slightly more formal occasion, such as Rune Knight gatherings, he ditches the hoodie for a long, white trenchcoat. His hair is seen as slightly messier, with its full length travelling down to his neck. The trenchcoat has several belts across the chest region, and dark grey lining across the shoulders and arm regions, in addition to a very high-standing collar. Moreover, he wears a bright yellow tie instead of a black one, albeit he keeps it as rough as he would normally do regardless.

When undergoing personal training, Richard normally adopts a much simpler set of clothes. He is most commonly seen in dark tanks, track pants and commonly goes barefoot. Should the temperature be particularly cold, Richard will instead opt to wear a jacket and a pair of loafers, along with fingerless gloves if necessary.

Personality

Richard is a young man of ambitions and goals. Relatively cheerful, calm and somewhat of a nuisance, Richard can be considered the ideal model of a mage. He constructs himself as a rebellious individual, paying very little attention to the society of laws which plague him. In more frank terms, Richard is considered - especially by the Magic Council - as a delinquent of sorts. He does whatever it takes to fulfill his ambitions, with very little regard to others.

Externally he is seen as somewhat of a loafer. He drifts between various environments and constantly appears very lazy and unkempt. His mannerisms accompany this, and he is portrayed as informal and somewhat rude. Nothing generally bothers Richard, and he seems to get by with all situations calmly. Sadly, his occupation constantly leads to several situations where he must act regally. But being brought up as a prince has its benefits for sure. Richard's upbringing has made him accustomed to such practices of society. In such situations, Richard acts calmly, with a sincere tone to his voice but has a slight witty trend in his word. Though Richard must bind his tongue, for it can get ahead of itself if he isn't careful.

Richard Relaxing

Though he does seemingly act without restraint and responsibility, Richard does understand the consequences of his actions if he doesn't act with some sort of restraint, and does adopt his duties in times of necessity. Richard is actually quite the leader, who is capable of adapting to a variety of situations with his commands. He plans out strategies swiftly and effectively, and can communicate rather easily. He is also noted to have a commanding voice, which compels others to listen to him regardless of the situation.

Richard is also a chivalrous and honorable person. He doesn't believe that attempting to fight dirtily will achieve any results greater than your current ability. He also hates the involvement of innocents in any conflict, as seen with his reaction to Apollo's burning down of a village to fulfill his organization's goals. Such actions cause his darker side to appear, something that very few people can tolerate...

Though Richard has his positives, everybody has a dark side, with Richard being no exception to this. Having lived a life of the rich, Richard has always been envious of those who have been free to live. Appearing only rarely, when he is angered or disheartened, Richard is capable of frightening even large mobs of mafia with his stare. Sanjo remarks that he can "count on Richard whenever he wants to, but when it comes to this nature of him, it's better to lay off". Seen with his first fight against Apollo, Richard is wholly capable of feeling anger, and a lot of it. He emanates an aura of sheer darkness that he complimented upon, remarking that he could easily have been a dark mage.

This anger, this darkness, is short-lived however. Richard is capable of easily suppressing it, leaving behind any indication of its existence. But, others are well aware to not provoke Richard in any possible situation.

Overall, Richard is believed to be one of the most reliable people he knows. And though the statement may seem conceited, it isn't far from the truth. His lazy, yet commanding and chivalrous nature, though contrasted with his darker side, allow for him to get along with virtually everybody he meets.

History

Birth and Childhood

Richard in his younger years.

"This boy is far too impish! What are you doing leaving him like this! Look at his brother, so composed and calm. Tsk, I have to pass on my title to this brat!?"

— Richard's grandfather remarking at Richard's klutz-like nature

Born into the wealthy and charismatic Aria Family as the first-born son of Matthew Aria, the son of the Head of the family, Richard was burdened with several expectations upon him. From his initial toddler years, Richard was brought up as a prince, who was pampered and yet given harsh restrictions on everything that he could and could not do. For this reason, Richard developed a slight animosity against those who restrained him, and would constantly seek attention by the higher-ups of his family, in particular his parents.

Furthermore, Richard was always an innovative, inquisitive and somewhat impulsive young man; evident by the fact that he constantly went on his own adventures. Rarely would he ever stay in his manor, and if he did, it was because he was learning how to fight or he was teasing his younger siblings. But Richard never had any wrong intentions, and was a kind-hearted man, which appealed to the elders of his family.

Alternate Storyline

Equipment

Scalpel (メス Mesu) are the most dominant equipment that Richard employs within everyday situations. Most famed for his ability to surgically inject a number of magically oriented diseases unto his opponent, Richard carries a number of these on his person at all times. He keeps them stashed into a small pack at his waist, and takes them out when needed. They seem to be carved with an unusual metal, which is strong enough to take magical blades formed through the use of Requip.

Richard's magical power flowing through Collbrande.

Collbrande (聖火 Literally meaning; Torch, Japanese for; Sacred Flame) is a weapon of tremendous power that was created on the behest of Richard's uncle in order to strengthen the use of Crystal-Make as a consequence of the young man's relatively weak and "gaseous" magical power, ill-suited for a magic that employs crystal as a basis, despite it being hereditary. The weapon itself is a large, blade-like weapon, with a very mechanical feel to it. The hilt is rather long, and of a dark blue coloration with a very ornate and large guard with red armor clasped around it, and a portion of it hanging out. The blade itself is thick and has a jagged edge which shears through its opponents. The function of the weapon is to channel Richard's magical power through the hilt and guard, subsequently released into powerful, crystallized structures. In its sealed, wristband state, it strengthens his crystal structures proportionally, being capable of at the least threatening the likes of Ritza Reznov, a powerful S-Class Mage.[1]

Crystal-Make - Cross of Excalibur (エクスカリバーの十字 Ekusukaribā no Jūjika): Through the use of Crystal-Make, Richard channels crystallized magical power throughout the entire blade and allows it to spread evenly through the blade. The magical power solidifies, constructing the blade into a sheen blade of azure crystal. Richard then slashes the blade horizontally, causing the blade to slash out into a wave of crystal that slams into his opponent and restrains them whilst he comes down with a large, overhead slash aimed to maim his poor victims entirely.

Magic and Abilities

Natural Abilities

Magical Abilities

Richard crystallizing the environment around him.

Heightened Eternano Levels: A man descending from a lineage of powerful mages, both men and women alike; Richard possesses a truly plentiful amount of magical power. With such ferocity and potency that even the most skilled of mages are left shell-shocked at his reserves, Richard knows very well that his magical power is fierce, and uses this fact quite frequently in all of his battles. It exudes itself as a gaseous, almost "weak" aura initially. From what has been said; Richard, since childhood, has always had magical power of meager strength. However; such magical power was capable of being manipulated to the extent at which he could influence foreignEternano particles through finely weaving his magical power and causing its influence to eventually take over foreign Eternano particles. This potentially gave him endless reserves of Eternano, with the sole weakness being the time-consuming aspect of this rejuvenation method. As such, he leaves it until absolutely necessary. Notably; Richard achieved such dominance very late in his life, presumably after his acquisition of Disease Scalpel. Richard's magical power is noted to have an effect of crystallization. Upon extended contact with Richard's magical power, the Eternano particles surrounding the victim become crystallized, eventually enveloping them in a casket of crystal unless they are capable of breaking out of it. As his emotions drive him further, Richard's magical power becomes ferocious in its nature. Its crystallization properties become much faster, and he can cause massive structures of crystal to be formed from the mere exertion of his magical power in a single direction.

Amaterasu(天照魔法陣 Amaterasu Literally meaning; Illuminating Heaven Seals) Richard learnt Amaterasu during his tenures as a member of the Corbeaux. He is noted to possess particular proficiency in the art of casting seals because of the manner in which his magical power is easily malleable. Unlike many casters of the art however, who have developed their casting speed to ridiculous levels, Hades otherwise known as Purehito, being an example; Richard's speed is rather average, if not slow for an Amaterasu wielder. He utilizes exceptional precision and accuracy with his spells however, with the level of dominance he has over them being undeniable. Even in the face of speedy adversaries, Richard's spells can be brought about with relative ease, as his seals can be the product of cumulative growth of magical power, rather than an instantaneous formation of it. What lies most prominently within his spells however, are there extreme destructive potential, along with taxing usage of his own magical power. Even if he only employs selective spells to fight his enemies, Richard can easily be worn out through the use of his seals, despite his plentiful reserves in comparison to other individuals. Thus, Richard rarely utilizes this magic, and will only do so on a singular enemy when he has vowed to obliterate them mercilessly.

Formula 111 (天照百十一式 Amaterasu Hyakujūichi Shiki) once known by the name Master Formula, is a highly complex seal that allows one to literally tear through the boundaries of space and time for but a moment. Drawing the seals very carefully, Richard creates a number of circular shaped seals which have an ancient language embedded inside of them. Once spread across the battlefield, the seals let out an enormous amount of light which seeps into the ground and causes a greater circle to appear beneath the area in which Richard and his opponent(s) have battled. Upon completely merging with the environment, Richard is able to cause the seals to compress down to the size of his palm, causing such a powerful explosion within a miniscule space that space-time momentarily rips apart and ultimately sends his opponents to the abyss. However; this spell is very risky, and if not carefully timed, Richard could potentially be victim to its massive power.

Richard utilizing Formula 042.

Formula 042 (天照百四十二式 Amaterasu Yonjūni Shiki) otherwise known as the Formula of Life, is a complicated, incantation-based Amaterasu Seal. It is indicated to be a forbidden spell that was traced down by Richard due to both his heritage and his position within the Magic Council. Upon gaining it on a expedition through Corbeaux, Richard found the strengths, and weaknesses of this seal, and decided to only use it when circumstances were dire. First, and only seen in use against Apollo of the Olympic Code, Richard draws a number of seals upon himself before muttering a small incantation. From herein, the magical power drawn onto his body channels into every nerve, vein and artery within his body and begins to mix in with his own blood flow, as a sort of blood infusion. From here, both his physical and magical abilities are augmented to levels beyond comprehension, if for a brief moment. His hair turns stark white, with no blemish on it, spikes upwards and lengthens prominently. Furthermore; the magical energy surging through his blood increases it to such speeds that the fabric on his body is ripped apart thanks to the vibrations surging around his body. His eyes become temporarily pupil-less, and he appears to have been drained of all colour. From what has been seen of the seal (though incomplete in its casting), it appears to dramatically enhance his own magical and physical abilities, to the point where even Apollo's own transformed state couldn't keep up, and he was cut down in an instant. An obvious back-lash of this spell is that, after a certain period of time, Richard succumbs to an enormous amount of exhaustion, and presumably cuts a small amount of his lifespan as well.

Incantation: Above the skies and beyond the oceans I ride. Scurry to the malevolence of Ragnarok! (空の上と、私が乗る海を越えて。ラグナロクの悪意への疾走！ Sora no ue to, watashi ga noru umi o koete. Ragunaroku no akui e no shissō!)

Crystal-Make (結晶の造形魔法 (クリスタルメイク) Kesshō no Zokei Mahou (Kurisutarumeiku)) is a Maker Magic much like that of Ice-Make, Wood-Make and other elemental Maker magics. It is a hereditary magic that only appears once in a generation within the Aria household. Richard has been blessed with its use. It is his secondary form of combat, used only during difficult battles. Initially it appeared that this magic could never be used by Richard due to the unfit magical power he had wielded. Eventually, through both training and innovation, Richard was capable of employing the full, undiluted power of this crystallized magical energy. At present, Richard shows incredible levels of skill with this magic, even Lyon Vastia and Gray Fullbuster, two exceptional talents in Ice-Make comment on his extraordinary skills. Because of the manner Richard may employ these crystals, and with very little concentration needed, he is able to conjure objects of virtually any kind with a simple command. The recycling of crystallized magical energy is exclusively employed by Richard after he begins with his initial crystal constructs, only adding his own magical energy when the battle progresses to a point of no return. This is achieved by simply breaking down the crystal into a more malleable state, allowing for him to reform it from even small shards time and time again, eventually pulverizing his enemy with endless amounts of crystal! One of the most distinct features about Richard's utilization of Crystal-Make is the mental aspect that he accompanies with it. His skill has grown to the point where he can create multiple constructs without even uttering a word or motioning, simply gathering, forming and crystallizing energy through his thought processes. A consequence of both habit, instinct and survival, Richard had to discover a way to enable a means of escape from capture and interrogation, finding that mental rigidity was one of these few methods. Through this, Richard has been capable of, for many years on end, refining this very skill to the point where he may create dozens of projectiles, melee weaponry and even day-to-day objects without consciously thinking about it! In terms of battle...it could be considered that his enemy could simply be vanquished from a flurry of crystal while he simply stood gazing at them. Richard even remarks that he took down an entire Dark Guild through this method, while he simply stood in the middle of the chaos.

Crystal-Make: Scalpel (刀 (メス) Mesu) because of his primary magic, Disease Scalpel, Richard decided that incorporating his Crystal-Make into his Disease Scalpel would make for a highly effective substitute rather than real scalpels. Because of the magic present within these scalpels, they augment the power of his diseases by at the least five times. Such a power-up allows for even greater enemies, such as large beasts, to be afflicted with a powerful dose of the disease. Richard also employs these scalpels as mid-ranged combat tools, effectively disabling his opponents from a considerable distance away.

Crystal-Make: Aquamarine (アクアマリン Akuamarin): As mentioned by Richard, his magical power exists in a surprisingly gaseous state. By channeling this gas into his Collbrande, before exerting it outwards from his being; Richard condenses the said gas into a liquid state. This liquid shows the strength and durability of Crystal, except in a liquid state. For this reason, the spell is extremely versatile and can be used in almost any combat situation. Richard can manipulate the said liquid as a Water Magic user would manipulate water, or even crystallize the said water completely after potentially surrounding an enemy; allowing for an omni-directional assault of considerable power.

Disease Scalpel (二豎刀 Nijūtō) is the primary form of magic employed by Richard Aria. It is supposedly exclusive to him, having heard of it during his travels with Tenzo Renge. It was a self-taught art due to having no known disciples, yet it was for this reason that he found the magic so intriguing. Constant trial and error finally brought about a resolute form of this magic. Through the utilization of scalpels of any nature, the wielder can channel magical power and transmute it into a specific format, creating a potent infection once entering the body. Richard possesses law-defying levels of expertise with this magic, considering he is its "de-facto" creator, Richard has been able to flesh out the initial concept of this magic to unexplored heights. Generally he appears to employ simple diseases against a single enemy, using them for means of restraint before using close-combat in order to beat them into submission. However, Richard can also be very brutal in his ways, using the most torturous of diseases to inflict horrible pain if he is angered significantly. Furthermore, during Richard's brawl with a large Dark Guild, at one point of time, he simply created chaos within the guild through the amount of scalpels that had created mental disorders erupt between the guild members, causing them to turn on their own kin due to being manipulated.

Paralysis Scalpel (麻痺メス Mesu Mahi): Richard's scalpel begins to collect static energy and then flashes. When this scalpel makes contact with the foe, it infects them with paralysis, leaving hem unable to move.